This invention relates to combination locks and is more particularly concerned with an improved dial-indexing spring that is used in left-hand and right-hand locks interchangeably.
Combination locks are commonly employed on luggage cases, such as suitcases or attache cases, to hold the lid or cover locked closed until combination dials are turned to a predetermined combination. Frequently a luggage case has a pair of combination locks located at opposite sides of a carrying handle. If identical locks are employed and are oriented identically, the lock arrangement may be asymmetrical. For example, both locks may have a manual actuator at the right end of the lock which is moved to the right to release a hasp at the left end of the lock. If one lock were simply turned 180.degree. relative to the other in an effort to achieve symmetry, indicia on combination dials of one of the locks would be inverted. It is preferred to employ an arrangement of locks that is symmetrical, but with all the combination dials operating identically.
While this arrangement is very convenient as well as physiologically and psychologically attractive to the user, it may have certain disadvantages from the standpoint of the lock manufacturer. Although principal parts of the lft and right locks can be made interchangeable and assembled to operate in the desired direction, preferred lock mechanisms do not permit use of the same combination dials in both the right-hand and left-hand locks, and thus left-hand and right-hand dials must be manufactured. Moreover, dial-indexing springs which have heretofore been employed in such lock mechanisms cannot be used for both left-hand and right-hand locks, again necessitating the manufacture of different left-hand and right-hand parts.